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Thursday, September 4, 2008
Hundreds of domestic media reports of the incident, although we all know, iPhone and Apple, Foxconn may be commercial interests.
Accidents, incidents gradually due to climax, a woman claiming to be a Yangxing iPhone girl's cousin, and the media iPhone girl transmitted the message, saying "trying to do the ordinary people," declined an interview, and hope to stop netizens Human search.
Although the company said not to pursue this matter, iPhone girl still reluctant to have any contact with the outside world, this "beautiful misunderstanding", it would be some unexpected outcome, but at least on the surface, everything is back to calm. However, the competing newspaper reporters through in-depth survey and found that the iPhone girl insider events, than people see much more complex.
Pushing Hands Arnold Kim
Arnold Kim graduated from Northwestern University undergraduate engineering science and applied mathematics, University of Washington and received a Master's of Applied Mathematics, Ph.D., computer engineering and network technology have deep knowledge. Arnold Kim in 2000 founded the MacRumors. com and served as senior editor. He has been living in the outskirts of Richmond, Virginia, in full-time operating MacRumors. com, the University of California at Merced (UC Merced) associate professor. More information is passed Arnold Kim's personal website that the.
Apple is the person who posted the Forum chief
IPhonegirl on the first news release in www. MacRumors. com (Apple product enthusiasts Forum), the person who posted the network called markm49uk, claimed to be British, has purchased a new iPhone cell phone and found that there are three photographs of Zhang Yazhou girls, he considered that this is an interesting Thing.
Markm49uk not British
This is a desire Adventure of the times, markm49uk posts quickly headlines. However, netizens quickly questioned, markm49uk claiming to have never been to the U.S., but the picture clearly shows that the carrier is AT & T, and the i-Phone in the United Kingdom is the exclusive partner O2, a British, and how to buy U.S. iPhone? »
August 27, a sign www. MacRumors. com, found markm49uk from March 13 in the site registration, only a total of 19 posts, in addition, the reporters found through the IP for this markm49uk from the United States, not Britain. markm49uk seems to want people to think he is British, he is registered at the end of the "uk".
Markm49uk is MacRumors chief
August 28, a reporter at the Forum registration ID, and to markm49uk of the stations as SMS, the letter said, "I know that i-Phonegirl some of the latest information, please contact me", the reporters stay in the MSN and e-Mail. August 29, markm49uk back to an almost no content of the e-mail, but he may be overlooked, e-mail signature is automatically set up, if not deliberately modified, will reveal his true information. markm49uk in the message showed that the signature is ArnoldKim. This ArnoldKim, is www. MacRu-mors. com site's owner and chief. Registered "vest" to exaggerate the Forum atmosphere, which is often used their chief means.
“Throw a couple photo to fame now is the girl iPhone Beijing, 28
August (EFE) .- The fame on the Internet comes sometimes in unexpected ways and even without disarmament, as has happened to a young worker of a factory in Shenzhen (southern China) than in just one week has been surfer become the phenomenon of summer: the Girl iPhone.
The girl, whose name has not been revealed to preserve their privacy, because the paparazzi are still looking at her, never imagined that her life changed by a simple picture taken by her companions in the plant assembly where he works in the assembly of iPhones and iPods, two of the “star products” from Apple.
Her colleagues photographed the camera to test how the iPhone they were assembling, and she posed crouch next to one of the Apple phones, with their work clothes (cap and gown and pink white) and making the sign of victory with his gloved hands. The photo evidence was not erased by neglect of workers and that the image traveled as wallpaper, a Briton who bought that iPhone in Kingston upon Hull (northern England).
Two other pictures of the girl, smiling face and regordeta, appeared in Photo Album of the cell. The buyer, intrigued by the emergence of the new girl on her mobile phone, hung the photograph of the couple china on August 20 on the web MacRumors.com, asking, under the nickname of “Markm49uk” if someone had to
girl in his iPhone screen and knew who she was. In just one week, that simple post has unleashed a frantic search of which soon was nicknamed The iPhone girl, the Girl iPhone: Internet forums of many Apple fans began to lucubrar different theories about the origin of the girl. Until they were born and blogs websites dedicated to it as blog.iphonegirl.net.
“If my iPhone have led to a girl so it would be willing to mona extra pay, especially if your e-mail included ” - Chris Meadows, China Daily
Within a few days, the frenzy to find the mysterious Girl iPhone managed to find the factory where she worked, owned by signature Taiwanese Foxconn, which produces for the multinational apple. Until its doors arrived foreign journalists trying to talk to the girl, leading to those responsible for the company to ask you not too overwhelmed to its workers.
“It has never experienced such a situation, and was really scared by the media attention. She told me she wants to leave and return to work home to stay away. It was just a young woman who has come to Shenzhen (technology centre of China) from his remote hometown, and although appreciates the interest of all for it, it is best to leave now quiet ” - Liu Kun, South China Morning Post
In forums on the Internet also emerged rumors that the girl or colleagues who took the photo iban to be dismissed by mistake, but Foxconn denied this possibility, noting that everything had been “a Small and beautiful mistake. “
Fears saved, however, some basis, bearing in mind that a couple of years ago the same factory in the Taiwanese company in Shenzhen was accused of treating its workers poorly. According to press reports published then, employees are forced to work during twelve hour shifts followed by foot and without able to speak with other colleagues, a situation that Apple acknowledged as true.”
Friday, August 29, 2008
Who is the "iPhone Girl"?
Pictures of an Asian factory worker found on a new iPhone sold to a British customer have generated keen discussion on the Internet about her identity — and her fate.
The three pictures, posted on the Apple discussion Web site MacRumors.com, show a young Asian woman working on what appears to be an assembly line for iPhones.
Dressed in a pink striped outfit and hat and wearing white gloves with yellow fingertips, the young woman now known on the Web as the "iPhone Girl" is shown smiling and making victory signs as she poses next to an iPhone.
The MacRumors.com user who posted the photos last week, identified as only "markm49uk" from Kingston-upon-Hull, England, said in a posting that one of the pictures showed up on a new 3G iPhone when the iTunes program was launched.
News reports say the woman may work at a factory run by an Apple contractor, Taiwan-based Foxconn Technology Group, in the southern Chinese boomtown of Shenzhen.
Calls to Foxconn spokesman Edmund Ding went unanswered Wednesday. Ding also didn't immediately respond to an e-mail from The Associated Press seeking comment.
But the South China Morning Post on Wednesday quoted another Foxconn spokesman, Liu Kun, as confirming that the young woman in the pictures works for Foxconn.
Liu said workers testing the device took the pictures and may have forgotten to delete them, the Post reported.
Dubbing the mystery worker "China's prettiest factory girl," China's Southern Metropolitan Daily on Tuesday quoted an unidentified Foxconn official as saying the woman was not fired.
Apple publicist Jill Tan said the company had no comment.
"Foxconn official said Tuesday, has reached an agreement with Apple, the two sides of the view that girls should be a beautiful flaws, they will not pursue girls Responsibility. And for the protection of the girls to consider, reveal other things inconvenient, but will consider in the near future to make an announcement on the incident. "
News of iPhoneGirl make it to Sweden. Please read the translated clip from Aftonbladet by Karin Holmberg below:
“The quest for “Iphonegirl”
Some pictures of a Chinese woman who smiles and makes “V” sign has been the whole world to talk about the mystical “Iphone-girl”. Now Chinese Internet users do everything possible to trace the young woman. The search for the girl started when a British Iphone users found images of the mill woman in her phone. The person la Print those on the MacRumors forums. The photos set in motion a chain reaction and Internet users in China is now making every effort to find out who the mysterious the woman really is. The woman working to mount Iphones is employed by the company FoxConn, which has most of its factories in Shenzhen near Hong Kong. Tested the camera on mobile phones A spokesperson for the company has confirmed that she is one of their employees and that they probably tested the camera in the cell phone and then forgotten to delete the photos, writes The Sydney Morning Herald online. In the camera, there were six pictures. Two of “Iphonegirl” dressed in rosarandiga fabrikskläder and four at the factory where she works. May not be sacked ”Small mistakes are inevitable”, “I would call this a beautiful mistake “to the Spokesperson Liu Kun as saying, according to AFP. Liu Kun continues to tell that the woman became nervous when the images began to appear in the newspapers and on Web pages. But the woman will not to get the sack for his mistake. Has limited it to 1000 On FoxConn’s factories in Shenzhen are working 270 000 employees, one of them is the mysterious “Iphone-girl”. The company will not reveal who she is.
In contrast, Chinese Internet users determined to find out. According to SMH, there has been more than 20 million searches for the term ”Iphonegirl” on Google.cn. Domain names iphonegirl.net and iphonegirl.cn has also bought up by people who hope to earn a hack on the mysterious woman. According to The Sydney Morning Herald has already succeeded in inernetanvändarna limit the number of “suspects” from 270 000 employees to 1000. They seem namely, to be sure that the woman working on quality control in the fifth våniingen in one of the factories and where work ”only” 1000 people. If they manage to find out who the smiling girl in fabriksdräkten is remains to be seen.”
Thursday, August 28, 2008
The iPhone 3G informations is follows:
With fast 3G wireless technology, GPS mapping, support for enterprise features like Microsoft Exchange, and the new App Store, iPhone 3G puts even more features at your fingertips. And like the original iPhone, it combines three products in one — a revolutionary phone, a widescreen iPod, and a breakthrough Internet device with rich HTML email and a desktop-class web browser. iPhone 3G. It redefines what a mobile phone can do — again.
If you want to buy a Iphone 3G,you can go to the App Store. Its available colors is black or white.
It's an unremarkable image on its face, but a photo of a young female worker at an Apple iPhone factory in southern China is well on its way to becoming an Internet "meme," or a viral idea that is rapidly and broadly propagated online. Internet memes can be a lot of fun for those spreading them. When actual people are at the center of them, like the "iPhone Girl," as she's come to be called, sometimes not so much. In this case, a young worker at Apple contractor Foxconn Technology Group's factory in Shenzhen, China apparently forgot to delete some pictures of herself that she had snapped on an iPhone she was testing. That iPhone ended up in the hands of a bemused British man who posted the pictures last week on the Web site MacRumors.com.
MacRumors.com visitors latched on to one of the pictures, which shows the smiling young woman making "peace" or "victory" signs at her station on the factory line, competing with each other to discover more details about the woman in the photo and spreading it to other Web sites.
The iPhone Girl meme has picked up steam quickly. As of Thursday morning, there are nearly 250 news stories about her on Google News' main Sci/Tech cluster for iPhone Girl-related articles.
Time will tell if iPhone Girl has the virility of overnight Internet sensations like Chris Crocker of "Leave Britney Alone" fame, much less the staying power of famous ongoing memes like "LOLcats" or "rickrolling".
What iPhone Girl has in common with such memes is that it emerged from a Web community, MacRumors.com, devoted in part to creating such viral phenomena over the Internet (or "Intertubes" to reference another meme that began following the spread of a quote by Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) describing the Internet as "a series of tubes").
Crocker's fame came on YouTube.com, which heavily promotes its "most viewed" videos. LOLcats and rickrolling emerged from the 4chan imageboard site, where meme-creation is arguably the main purpose of contributors.
4chan, of course, is also home to meme-creation of a sort very different than cutesy LOLcats or harmless rickrolling trickery. The site's random board, known as "/b/", regularly produces sociopathic mob assaults on grieving families and children.
So far, iPhone Girl, the woman not the meme, is reportedly "scared" by the media attention she's been receiving.
"She's really scared by the media. She told me she wanted to quit her job and go back home to get away from this. We let her off work today so she could rest," a Foxconn spokesperson said, according to the Washington Post.
Not a good sign for people who care about the human beings in the middle of some memes.
“She might have done nothing more than flashed a smile to her colleague testing an iPhone’s camera on a Chinese production line. But it seems the colleague forgot to delete her photos, and now worldwide iPhone fans are gearing up to locate her.
The “iPhone girl” frenzy began last week when the girl’s photos appeared on MacRumors.com, a popular forum for fans of Apple products.
The photos show a round-faced Chinese girl dressed in pink, striped uniform, smiling and making a “V for Victory” gesture in what seems like an assembly line.
Many forum users commented that they found the girl “really cute, vivid, energetic, smile like sunshine a typical chinese girl". She loves and enjoys her job. Maybe iphone can really make this girl to be celebrity. I think that it is always better than chosing some model or star.Whatever, her life is changing now because of her little misplay. I am not sure it is a good or bad thing for her.
Other people worry that “she is so fired” because of the incident.
“She is definitely not fired,” an unidentified representative from Foxconn’s factory in Shenzhen, southern China, told the newspaper Xiandai Kuaibao.
The factory assembles most of Apple’s iPhones and iPods, the newspaper says.
The representative confirmed that the “iPhone girl” was one of its employees but declined to give details.
He said it was likely that the test photos were left in the phone’s memory “accidentally.” The company is investigating the incident.
Though the “iPhone girl” is yet to be traced, her popularity continues to grow. Someone has even created an English-language Web site, iPhonegirl.net, updated with global media reports on her.”
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Being a chinese，You would think that this girl is very cute, or exclaimed fooled, or had buy a refurbished aircraft.
2. Many people think this is the first iPhone speculation, the success of speculation. However, Foxconn will to sacrifice his own reputation and interests of iPhone?
3. If this is not a speculation that Foxconn how to end it? "IPhoneGirl" exposed Foxconn management deficiencies, APPLE will have trouble with Foxconn, what the final outcome about "iPhoneGirl" happen?
In case you're curious, the girl in the photo (unofficially dubbed "iPhone Girl" by the press) is a worker at the Shenzhen factory. Some were also speculating that she would get into trouble, but they say that's not the case.
She is definitely not fired," an unidentified representative from Foxconn's factory in Shenzhen, southern China, told the newspaper Xiandai Kuaibao.The factory is responsible for the assembly of most of Apple's small electronics like iPhones and iPods. The newspaper was able to confirm that iPhone Girl is an employee there, but declined to give details.
That's not stopping her popularity on the web. She is continuing to gain fans across the web as the pretty Chinese girl on someone's iPhone, and if anything, the mysteriousness of it is only feeding the fire.
But today I use google or Yahoo to search "iPhonegirl" or "iPhonegirl china",I find that there are no real informations about Iphone girl on the first page,such as iPhone Girl videos on youtobe.com,which upload time is October 27, 2007.Oh,my god.
And the website like friendfeed.com,http://www.flickr.com/photos/iphonegirl/,
https://twitter.com/iphonegirl/statuses/885739262,is Deceitful.Remember she is a chinese girl.
At the end, I want to say:"iPhoneGirl Got Fired! ".HaHa.
A British Internet user "Markm49uk" who posted the photos Buy the new iPhone 3G.Last week when he unboxed his iphone 3G,he found three more photos of a girl on the iPhone--one on the home screen,and others in the phone's photo album.
What's the photos show?It's a Chinese girl who is round-faced.She dressed in pink,striped uniform, and also being smiling and making a "V for Victory" gesture in what seems like an assembly line.She's so kinda cute.
He(iPhone girl) said it was likely that the test photos were left in the phone's memory "accidentally."
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Not sure if this is or is not the 'norm' but I just received my brand new iPhone here in the UK and once it had been activated on iTunes I found that the home screen (the screen you can personalise with a photo) already had a photo set against it !!!!
It would appear that someone on the production line was having a bit of fun - has anyone else found this ?
And also with the photos here:


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Published: 13:09, 22 April 2021
| Updated: 14:26, 22 April 2021
One of the UK's largest arts and crafts retailers is coming to Medway.
Hobbycraft plans to open a store in the Strood Retail Park later this year – making it the first of its kind in the Towns.
It'll take over an unoccupied unit which was previously owned by Carpetright before it moved out in 2018.
A spokesman for Hobbycraft said: "We are delighted to confirm that our new store in Strood will open later this summer.
"We're looking forward to welcoming craft beginners and enthusiasts alike into our new store and will confirm more details closer to the opening day."
A planning application was issued to Medway Council for the company to instal new signs and branding to the derelict building. It is currently under review.
In September last year, Boots applied for planning permission to convert the site but plans have since been shelved.
Hobbycraft already has branches in Ashford, Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells, Thanet and Orpington.
The exact opening date is yet to be revealed.
In 2019 police were called to the empty Carpetright unit after hundreds of people took part in an illegal rave.

domain: news


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One of the first things that President-elect Donald Trump has said he plans to do in office is label China a currency manipulator. But to many economists, that charge is aimed at a world that has come and gone.
The threat is likely to materialize in the new administration, given that a large number of Democrats also favor labeling China a currency manipulator.
Yet many economists who study China say that, at least regarding currency, the charges of cheating don't stick — anymore.
“When I heard Mr. Trump talking about China, I had this uncomfortable feeling that he was more than 10 years out of date,” said Pieter Bottelier, an economist who has studied China’s economic development for decades. “The idea that China has manipulated its currency by keeping it artificially undervalued is totally untrue today. … In fact, the situation is the exact opposite from what Mr. Trump seems to be claiming.”
In the 1990s and early 2000s, China held down the value of its currency, called the yuan or renminbi, to the detriment of U.S. exporters, who found that their goods could not compete with China’s low prices abroad. For almost two decades, currency manipulation gave Chinese exporters an edge that helped the country morph into an economic powerhouse.
Today, that era in China’s economy appears to be over, at least for now. Between 2005 and 2015, China allowed the yuan to gradually gain value, and over that decade, the currency appreciated by about a third. Until the middle of 2014, one could have argued that China was still intervening in foreign-exchange markets to keep the value of its currency low.
But over the past year and half, the country’s economic situation has transformed, economists say. As China’s growth slows, its people have tried to send more capital out of the country to find more lucrative and safer investments around the world. That has put downward pressure on China’s currency, and policymakers have switched to propping it up, rather than holding it down, economists say.
When evaluated against the U.S. dollar, China's currency appears to be depreciating in recent months. But that is because the U.S. dollar has been gaining in strength. When measured against other currencies, such as the euro, the yuan looks more stable.
In a report in October, the U.S. treasury said that China did not fulfill the three criteria currently necessary to be labeled a currency manipulator (which are having a large trade surplus with the United States, engaging in persistent and one-sided intervention in foreign-exchange markets, and having a material current account surplus). In fact, China met only one of the criteria (the trade surplus), while Japan, Korea, Germany, Taiwan and Switzerland each met two.
The Treasury report concluded that China was actually intervening in foreign-exchange markets “to prevent a rapid RMB depreciation that would have negative consequences for the Chinese and global economies.” Between August 2015 and August 2016, China sold more than $570 billion in foreign currency to prop up the value of the yuan, the Treasury report said — a trend that is visible in the chart below.
“The reality is that, if anything, China is doing the U.S. a favor by keeping its currency from falling as fast as markets seem to want it to fall,” said Eswar Prasad, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and the author of the recent book “Gaining Currency: The Rise of the Renminbi.”
The currency-manipulation charge stems from a real concern over the Chinese economy: that America's trade deficit with China continues to grow. But in its report, the Treasury Department concluded that the solution to China's massive trade surplus with the U.S. is not in China's currency, but in encouraging Beijing to rebalance its economy toward consuming more and producing less. China experts have championed these changes for years.
Nothing would stop a Trump administration from changing Treasury rules and labeling China a currency manipulator anyway. That would trigger a formal process in which the U.S. government could limit Chinese investment in the United States or introduce tariffs and trade barriers against China.
Such a move — accurate or not — could provoke retaliation from Beijing that could hurt U.S. companies and workers.
Prasad says China is unlikely to bend to U.S. pressure, in part because it is in the midst of a political transition in which the government will probably want to appear strong to a domestic audience. In addition, the U.S. market today is not as central to China's economy as it once was: It accounts for about 17-18 percent of China’s exports, down from about one-quarter years ago. If pressured, China could respond by restricting access to the Chinese market for some of America’s biggest firms, such as Apple, Walmart or Boeing, as well as America's farmers.
“Taking action against China’s currency or trade practices could very quickly escalate into a tit-for-tat battle that turns into an all-out trade war. The hope on both sides is that reason will prevail, but the political context in both countries makes this a particularly dangerous time when words and actions could have much greater consequences,” Prasad says.
To be sure, there are plenty of aspects of the Chinese economy that a Trump administration could criticize on stronger ground. China entered the World Trade Organization in 2001 promising to grant companies around the world freer access to its markets. And in many sectors, such as financial services, technology and the media, China has broken those promises.
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In recent months, industry members and experts have taken quite a lot of pains trying to figure out the cause of stagnation in the diamond market. By all appearances, the diamond market “fundamentals” promise a bright future for the industry: the world’s diamond output is gradually decreasing, while global sales of diamond jewelry are albeit slowly, but growing. However, despite this, prices for polished diamonds are staying flat at best and going down at worst. Some see the reason in the problems with funding diamond manufacturers, others – in the change of consumer preferences. Diamond mining giants are consolidating their efforts to revive the long-lapsed programs of generic marketing. Experts call to pay more attention to the threat posed by synthetic stones.
But there is another factor, which has somehow completely escaped the discussion.
[two_third]Just a few years ago, experts predicted Zimbabwe to play a big role in the global diamond market: it was thought that the country was capable of producing such big quantities of diamonds that it could change the balance of power in the industry. The marked failed to see this country’s production level reach the promised tens of millions of carats and gradually the topic came to naught. However, Zimbabwe seems to continue playing a much greater role in the industry’s life, than it is thought to.[/two_third]
“Just a few years ago, experts predicted Zimbabwe to play a big role in the global diamond market.”
India has always pinned its biggest hopes on Zimbabwe. When the Kimberley Process lifted its sanctions from Zimbabwe’s diamonds, it was a real salvation for diamantaires in Surat. At that time, India, the world’s diamond manufacturing hub was suffering from sharp depreciation of the rupee against the U.S. dollar, which undermined local diamond cutters financially. “Zimbabwe diamonds have become the cheapest option now,” GJEPC officials said in those days. “Zimbabwe’s cheap diamonds are attracting Indian diamantaires, especially small and medium buyers. They bring the diamonds to India paying cash in order to keep their factories running.” They also expressed the hope that the flow of cheap stones from Zimbabwe will lead to lower prices for diamonds from South Africa and Russia.
It should be said that to deal with Zimbabwe in this period was very remunerative. In 2013, diamonds from this African country, just recently considered conflict stones, were sold at a discount of up to 50% to the price of comparable rough from other sources. “Scrupulous dealers who bought diamonds at tenders in Harare, via the Dubai route, had maintained that Zimbabwe diamonds could only be bought at hefty discounts of as much as 25-40 percent arguing that diamonds from the country came with serious reputational risks for traders,” Equity Communications said in its report.
According to the data released by the Kimberley Process in 2013, net exports of diamonds to India amounted to about 110 million carats. Foreign trade statistics of the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) at the same time gave a very different figure – 118 million carats. To write off this discrepancy to “differences in accounting methods” will not work: 2013 was the first year when statistics from KP and GJEPC diverged so sharply. For example, in 2012 and 2011, the numbers of net exports to India from these two sources were nearly identical. Thus, in 2013 India got approximately 8 million carats of rough diamonds, which were not registered by the Kimberley Process for one reason or another – and most likely they were diamonds from Zimbabwe bought by Indian diamantaires “for cash” exactly when the falling rupee rate forced them to look for any options to maintain business.
Now imagine that you bought a parcel of cheap diamonds from Zimbabwe and turned them into polished goods. It is doubtful that you will try to approach large dealers with that kind of polished stuff – they will sure be reluctant to accept those reputational risks. Most likely, you will go to smaller dealers who will close their eyes to some of the problems related to the origin of diamonds in exchange for… of course, for the good old discount to the market price. And then discounted diamonds will start their free sail: unlike for rough diamonds, there are no certificates for polished diamonds, which would require disclosing the country of their origin.
[two_third]Perhaps, the current protracted stagnation in prices for polished diamonds is caused by the fact that the market continues to receive discounted stones cut from Zimbabwean diamonds. How many carats of polished goods can be made from 8 million carats of rough? For example, 3 million carats, by which diamond manufacturing increased in India in 2014 compared to the standard annual level of 32-33 million carats in previous years.[/two_third][one_third_last]
“Perhaps, the current protracted stagnation in prices for polished diamonds is caused by the fact that the market continues to receive discounted stones cut from Zimbabwean diamonds.”
By and large, diamond cutters in Surat cannot be blamed for their willingness to support their own business. The problem rather lies in the lack of regulation. The zealous pursuit of ethically clean rough (which in itself is a good intention) did not make diamonds from Zimbabwe more or less “clean“. We are not at all trying to prejudice the Kimberley Process’ decision to impose an embargo on trading diamonds from Zimbabwe, as well as its decision to cancel it. We only draw attention to one fact: It is no secret that even after the embargo was lifted the trade in diamonds from Zimbabwe has long remained not quite legitimate and quite far from being transparent. In fact, it began to be somehow regulated only by the end of 2013, when the country’s authorities began to organize open tenders in Harare and beyond. And even this mechanism is still far from perfect.
The good news is that if the discounted diamonds coming from Zimbabwe are currently putting real pressure on the general price level, sooner or later the stock of these stones will be exhausted and everything will come back on track.
The alarming news is that even if the depletion of this stock will remove the symptoms, this will not solve the problem. We must not forget that besides major manufacturers there are small and closed companies in the market, whose pricing remains a mystery to the whole industry. This is the case not only in Zimbabwe. The Kimberley Process is now chaired by Angola, which faced the problems of illegal diamond trafficking caused by the civil war back in its history. In fact, it is in many respects thanks to the experience of Angola that the KP Certification Scheme proved its efficiency. But according to market players, the largest diamond company of Angola, Catoca is also selling diamonds at a significant discount to market prices. And if in the case of Zimbabwe the discount was caused by the sanctions and “semi-legal” status of rough diamonds, in the case of Catoca it is due to lack of transparency in the company’s sales. Of course, the Kimberley Process is not alone to bear the responsibility for market transparency, which also rests with the authorities of those African countries, which receive revenues from the diamond trade.
We should not overlook the latest news about the imminent resumption of rough export from the Central African Republic, which has been under the KP sanctions since 2013. Indeed, the amount and quality of these diamonds do not matter much – if these stones will fail to be sold in a transparent way after the sanctions will be removed, the market will soon run the risk of having another source of rough sold at a 50-percent discount.


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One man has begun a yearlong prison term for defrauding the organic industry by selling noncompliant fertilizer, and another is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 19 in a similar case that could net him an even more time behind bars.
Peter Townsley, former owner of California Liquid Fertilizer, began 364 days in federal prison Nov. 9 in relation to sales of almost $7 million of Biolizer XN fertilizer. He admitted to two counts of mail fraud in a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s office in San Francisco. The fraud involved mailing inaccurate certification renewal documents to the Organic Materials Review Institute.
In August, Kenneth Nelson Jr., former owner of Port Organics Ltd. and several affiliated companies, admitted to four counts of mail fraud in an unrelated case handled by the Fresno, Calif., office of the U.S. Attorney. Nelson said he earned $9 million in profit by selling nonorganic fertilizer under the guise it met regulations for organic use.
Nelson, a Bakersfield, Calif., resident, could face 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count, plus a three-year probation period, according to assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Sheriff.
Nelson’s scheme ran from 2003 to 2009. He admitted intentionally altering the formulas of Agrolizer, Marizyme, Fishilizer and other brands of fertilizer. He sent documents to OMRI saying the products were made of fishmeal and bird guano and labeled them as such. However, Nelson’s fertilizers actually included large amounts of synthetic materials including aqueous ammonia, ammonium sulfate, and urea.
In his plea agreement, Nelson said customers paid more than $40 million for the purportedly organic fertilizers. He admitted that the total losses attributable to the scheme were between $20 million and $50 million.
Sheriff said Nelson agreed to forfeit $9 million in cash and three vehicles, which have already been seized: a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado; a 2005 Mini Cooper CV; and a 2004 Porsche Cayenne. Federal Judge Anthony Ishii will determine at sentencing Nov. 19 whether Nelson will actually have to forfeit the vehicles and cash.
In the Townsley case, Federal Judge Charles Breyer imposed two 364-day prison terms but is allowing the Canadian citizen to serve them concurrently. The judge also imposed a $125,000 fine and ordered that Townsley must serve three years’ probation after his prison time.
During Townsley’s probation, he must live the first six months in a halfway house and complete 1,000 hours of community service in the organic industry.
“It’s important that Townsley got a fairly stiff sentence,” said Will Daniels, senior vice president of operations and organic integrity at San Juan Batista, Calif.-based Earthbound Farm, one of the victims of the fertilizer fraud.
“It should serve as a clear warning to those who would violate the regulations that organic integrity is strong and that justice will be served on perpetrators of organic fraud.”
Townsley admitted to intentionally changing the formula for Biolizer XN in April 2000 from a mix of “ocean-going fish, fish by-products, feathermeal and water” to include ammonium chloride. He later changed the formula again, switching the ammonium chloride to ammonium sulfate, and continued to sell until December 2006 as certified for use in organic operations.
Before imposing Townsley’s sentence, Judge Breyer received comments from several interested parties, including Earthbound Farm; Tanimura & Antle, Salinas, Calif.; Miles McEvoy, deputy administrator of the National Organic Program; the California Department of Food and Agriculture; fertilizer company Advanced Marine Technologies, New Bedford, Mass.; and Peggy Miars, executive director of OMRI.
All of the comments stressed the ripple effect Townsley’s actions had on the organic industry because it raised doubts among consumers and undermined the public trust in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s organic certification program.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture officials told the judge in their comments that Townsley’s scheme resulted in additional regulations in the state that annually cost the organic industry $400,000 in increased fees and testing.
In a request for a 46-month sentence for Townsley, the U.S. Attorney’s office said he not only intentionally perpetrated the fraud, but that he continued to do so while ducking investigators.
“At any time, Townsley could have made the right choice and stopped selling Biolizer XN, but it is clear that he was motivated by one thing — greed,” the U.S. Attorney’s office said in its sentence recommendation.
Breyer noted in an order related to the calculation of losses of victims in the Townsley case that “(the) defendant spends much of his briefing running away from his plea and the facts and evidence as presented in this case.”
Townsley requested leniency, saying state and federal governments were partially to blame because they failed to effectively enforce organic certification regulations.


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The web is where it’s at – no one can deny that anymore. And with more and more businesses becoming primarily online, a large percentage of them happen to be women-owned.
Internet Week brought out 50 women in technology for a Calliope Group networking breakfast. Mostly women in their 20′s and 30′s, each one had launched online companies and were there to share tips both on business and philanthropy with their female peers in their industry.
The breakfast brought out such women as Alex Hirschfeld, co-founder of Paperless Post, Laurel Touby who started Mediabistro (and sold it for $23 million in 2007), among many others.
As female CEOs, founders and business owners, the women have become each other’s “strategic advisers.” They’re there to motivate, support and help each other expand professionally. And this trend of networking isn’t just here in New York, it’s everywhere as more female entrepreneurs make a name for themselves as staples and successes in the industry. It’s the bond of sisterhood, is what it is.
With the profiles of these women and their businesses becoming more well known, procuring investors and venture capitalists is starting to be an easy task. Those with money want to “sniff out new talent and source their next big deal.” And the next big deal can be found in these women, and the best part is that for investors, gender doesn’t seem to be an issue.
Amanda Reed, a partner at Palomar Ventures says:
“My partners, co-investors and LPs are almost all men. My investments in women entrepreneurs are not done as favors. They’re done with men’s support and participation. I may be using my connections, but we all make money.”
According to a 2010 study, women spend 30% more time on social networking than men, and are responsible for 61% of U.S. online purchases. And since women know what other women want, female entrepreneurs are able to hone in and direct their services and products at their base demographic – the same demographic that’s spending all that money online.
Female entrepreneurs is a trend worth watching. As I stood in a room of them last night, they really do have each other’s back, and the support system they have built around their businesses and passions was almost tangible. There was no race to get to the finish line first, or competition to outdo someone else. There was an equality, and a shared respect and admiration for the goals and dreams in which every woman was pursing.
“These women are serious, sharp business people, but most are not powerhouse developers or designers. But tech is now layered on top of all businesses. You need to learn the language enough to do your job, but not enough to do developers’ jobs.”
These women truly are a force, and when all is said and done they will have made their mark on the web-based community of companies. Their imprint is inevitable and the way of doing business will never be the same.


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CRA Technology & Market News
Written by Simon Alvarez, Teslarati
Elon Musk updates Tesla cybertruck delivery target date that will indeed see some notable delays, but the wait for the all-electric pickup truck will likely be worth it.
Visit CRA’s industry news blog page for more relevant articles.
This was highlighted by CEO Elon Musk during a recent all-hands meeting with the Tesla team, as per information shared by several individuals familiar with the topics discussed.
The Tesla Cybertruck was initially intended to be released in late 2021, with volume production at Gigafactory Texas hitting its stride in 2022. Amidst the ongoing chip shortage and supply chain issues, however, it appeared Tesla was meeting substantial challenges in ramping its all-electric pickup truck. These challenges were highlighted by brief updates and hints the company posted on its official website, as well as some information mentioned during AI Day.
In early August, Tesla formally moved the Cybertruck’s estimated customer deliveries to 2022. This delay was practically reiterated during AI Day, when Musk noted Tesla’s next-generation Autopilot computer, HW 4.0, would likely make its debut with the Cybertruck in “about a year or so.”
These, together with reports that Tesla’s 4680 production line is meeting some challenges, suggested the Cybertruck’s deliveries may be moved back.
Citing individuals who were part of the meeting, EV blog Electrek added Musk’s Cybertruck comments during the meeting were not all conservative. While the CEO admitted the all-electric pickup truck would be delayed to late 2022 with volume production starting in 2023, Musk reportedly said the Cybertruck is a “special project” that almost seems like a “glitch in the Matrix,” as if the franchise’s main character, Neo, had a vehicle.
Musk’s comments during the meeting could easily be interpreted as the CEO hyping the all-electric pickup truck, but they do suggest the Cybertruck would be a one-of-a-kind vehicle, even among Tesla standards.
The Cybertruck, after all, would be loaded with a ton of new technology such as the company’s 4680 cells and HW 4.0 computer—but that’s not all. Tesla also aims to offer all of these innovations and more at a price point below the present cost of a base Tesla Model S.
That’s a tough endeavor, and one that would take everything that the company has learned over the past years as a producer of mass-market cars to accomplish.
Delaying the Cybertruck to late 2022 will result in competitors such as Rivian R1T, expected to start deliveries in September after a year’s worth of delays, and the Ford F-150 Lightning, expected to start its deliveries in early 2022, saturating the all-electric pickup truck market earlier.
The Tesla Cybertruck would then have to demonstrate it is really a cut above the rest when it enters the market, especially as it would be following on the heels of two formidable, traditionally-designed competitors.
We thank Teslarati for the article.
What is your view on Tesla’s all-electric pickup truck? Do you think it’s something that will be attractive to the traditional diesel and petrol South African bakkie market? Let us know in the comments below. Also, if you found our content informative, do like it and share it with your friends.
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The group, which listed on the Warsaw stock market last year, forecast underlying core earnings (EBITDA) on a constant currency basis, for full year ended September 30, to come in the range of €735 million to €750 million, in line with its growth expectations.
"This strategy is driving faster growth through accelerated store openings and innovation to improve each store for customers and colleagues, helping to further enhance our LFL performance."
It said group revenue rose 17.4% on a constant currency basis to €4.82 billion, partly driven by 516 new stores.
Like-for-like sales rose 5.2% and were up 15.5% in September, providing a strong exit rate into the new financial year.
Central And Eastern Europe
Pepco said in its core markets of Poland, Hungary and Romania inflation in clothing and footwear was running at only around a third of the headline inflation rate.
Both clothing and food remain resilient categories in the Polish and wider Central and Eastern Europe retail sector, the company said, adding that the outlook across the UK remains 'challenging' as constraints on consumers' disposable income persist.
'That said, our value-led proposition becomes even more relevant in these challenging times and continues to drive new customers to our stores, expanding our target market, across Europe,' it added.
The group has made efforts to lower its cost structure, as well as improve back-office structure and processes, a strategic focus that has "served us well in growing sales and delivering on EBITDA and cash generation," Masters added.
"We are accelerating our strategy in order to capitalise on the opportunities available to us in these volatile market conditions."


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India developing index to measure restrictiveness
India is in the process of preparing an index to rank eight major trading partners with whom it is negotiating free trade agreements (FTAs). The index will help ascertain the restrictiveness of these countries with respect to cross-border movement of professionals, a major concession sought by India in negotiations. The Ministry of Commerce & Industry will be ranking countries including US, Canada,
Australia, the Netherlands and India, and the index will evaluate them on criteria like entry barriers, discriminatory measures, competition barriers and transparency in regulation on the index, on the lines of OECD Services Trade Restrictiveness Index.


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The founder and CEO of Striking Distance Studios, Glen Schofield, has decided to quit. Together with him, the chief operating officer and the CFO leave the studio.
In a comment to Bloomberg, a representative of Krafton, the parent company of Striking Distance Studios, said that all three top managers are leaving the studio voluntarily.
Schofield himself called his departure “bittersweet” and noted that he leaves the studio in safe hands. He gave way to CEO Steve Papoutsis, director of development at Striking Distance Studios, who previously worked with Schofield at Visceral Games on Dead Space.
Schofield founded Striking Distance Studios in 2019. In the new studio, he led the development of the horror The Callisto Protocol, which was to become the “spiritual heir”Dead Space AAAAA-level. The game did not meet expectations. At the start, she received average ratings from critics and gamers, after which Krafton shares fell by 8.41% in a day. Analysts who predicted the game’s annual sales of 5 million copies eventually lowered the forecast to 2 million.


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This is interesting news in light of the fact that Best-Buy has notebooks on sale all of the time for less than $500.
Which begs the question to be asked…new SSD hard drive or new laptop?
New laptops are faster, but the new SSD harddrive is faster?
New hard drive or new laptop? Decisions, decisions, decisions…


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CNBC's Steve Liesman reports how participants of the All-America Economic Survey voted for their favorite and least favorite companies.
Washington needs to serve the American people. CNBC's Jim Cramer talks with Howard Schultz, Starbucks founder, chairman, president and CEO, Schultz says the government shutdown demonstrated a "complete fracturing of leadership."
You're not going to see coffee here, says Howard Schultz, Starbucks CEO, talking with CNBC's Jim Cramer about his company's acquisition of Teavana, a specialty tea retailer.
Marcus Lemonis, CNBC Prime's "The Profit" host, discusses his special, "Power Pitch Tournament of Champions," where contestants compete for a chance to pitch their big idea to the world.
The "Squawk on the Street" crew provides their thoughts on what they expect to see later today when the tech giant unveils its latest tablet and the likely impact on the stock.
Tom Forte, Telsey Advisory Group, says today's unveiling of Apple's new iPad is phase two of a three phase strategy for the tech giant.
CNBC's Phil LeBeau questions whether Consumer Reports' review of the Lexus IS 250 and the Infiniti Q50 will hurt sales of those 2 luxury sedans.
Sean "Diddy" Combs wants to compete with the world's top business people, and during an interview with CNBC's Maria Bartiromo he asked for some advice from Warren Buffett .. on how to become even richer than the Omaha billionaire.
It's not a moneymaking proposition to disappoint your customers, says Adam Goldstein, Royal Caribbean International President & CEO, discussing his disappointment with the government shutdown and its impact on his business.
Competition in the air heats up and is putting pressure on shares of Boeing, report CNBC's Phil LeBeau. Airbus is selling 31 of its A350 aircraft, a direct competitor to Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, to Japan Airlines.
Harry Binswanger, Ayn Rand Institute, thinks the U.S. should be showering moral praise on bank CEOs and millionaires. Tamara Draut, Demos VP of policy and research thinks this is "absurd."
It's shaping up to be a big battle between the NYSE and the Nasdaq over which exchange will be the one to list Twitter when it goes public, reports CNBC's Seema Mody.
Hans Vestberg, Ericsson Group president & CEO, discusses the company's leading role in the tech industry and how it intends to stay competitive and fend off its rivals.
Steven Mills, IBM senior vice president, explains how "Big Blue" intends to stay competitive in a constantly evolving tech industry by developing a way to take advantage of real-time connectivity data.
Michael Price, Evercore Partners, provides perspective on news the smartphone maker will be acquired by a group led by Fairfax Financial for $9 a share, in a deal worth $4.7 billion.
Shares of the pizza maker are up about 90-percent over last year and the company is outperforming its competition. Patrick Doyle, Domino's Pizza president & CEO, discusses Domino's recipe for success, which includes innovation and value.
David Garrity,GVA Research, discusses the growing competition in the tablet wars, and why BlackBerry is moving away from the consumer.
Chinese consumers especially love Apple's iPhone 5S gold model, reports CNBC's Eunice Yoon.
CNBC's Jon Fortt reports on the year ahead for Microsoft as the company holds its first analyst meeting. In the year ahead, Steve Ballmer is retiring, the company is currently working to reorganize and is also trying to buy Nokia's devices and services business.
Craig Dalton, DODOcase CEO & co-founder, explains how his company's innovative philosophy profits by using bookbinding techniques to outfit the hottest tech gadgets on the market.


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Research In Motion Changes Its Name to BlackBerry
Source : AG-IP News
Visits : 5611
WATERLOO, ON - Research In Motion (RIM) announced in a press release that it will now operate around the world under the iconic name BlackBerry, effective immediately.
The Company will adopt the name of its revolutionary BlackBerry smartphone to coincide with the launch of its new mobile computing platform, BlackBerry 10. The move consolidates the company’s brand into a single cohesive global presence.
“This change from Research In Motion to BlackBerry comes at a defining moment in our company’s history,” said Thorsten Heins, President and CEO. “RIM created the first BlackBerry smartphone and changed the way millions of people around the world stay connected. We have used that same ingenuity and innovation to redefine mobile computing with BlackBerry 10. As we launch BlackBerry 10 around the world, now is the right time to adopt the iconic BlackBerry name.”
As part of the move, the Company will now trade as “BB” on the Toronto Stock Exchange and “BBRY” on the NASDAQ. The changes to the company’s ticker symbols will be effective at the start of trading on Monday, February 4, 2013. The company’s website (www.rim.com) has changed to www.blackberry.com and soon company email addresses will migrate to @blackberry.com suffix.
BlackBerry’s reinvigorated marketing efforts will now consistently represent the BlackBerry brand.
“Outside of North America, we are known solely as BlackBerry and the strength of the brand has opened doors in new and emerging markets. We now represent a company with a clear global brand and cohesive global marketing approach,” said Frank Boulben, Chief Marketing Officer, BlackBerry.
"The BlackBerry name is synonymous with the company and its products and this move is a logical step forward as the company launches new devices and the BlackBerry 10 platform," said Danielle Levitas, Group Vice President of IDC's Consumer, Clients & New Media Research.
A global leader in wireless innovation, BlackBerry® revolutionized the mobile industry when it was introduced in 1999. Today, BlackBerry aims to inspire the success of our millions of customers around the world by continuously pushing the boundaries of mobile experiences. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, BlackBerry operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. BlackBerry is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ: BBRY) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: BB). For more information, visit www.blackberry.com


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Microsoft has revealed that its Xbox LIVE service will be built into PCs in the future.
Mike Delman, Microsoft’s vice president of global marketing in the interactive entertainment business unit, revealed the company’s plans in an interview this week. Speaking to The Seattle Times, Delman confirmed that Windows 8 will include Xbox LIVE integration:
Live has been successful on the Windows Phone. Live will be built into the PC. It will be the service where you get your entertainment. We were talking about it — you will not just see consoles and handhelds at this show next year, this show’s going to morph into other devices.
Delman also answered questions on how the service and content will be part of Windows 8:
There will be a lot of similarities in design and service philosophy. Whether it’s us or Apple or anybody else, people want to be able to navigate through multiple devices in a certain ecosystem very seamlessly so we’re committed to that.
Asked whether Xbox LIVE would be a cloud media service that works across Windows PCs as well as phones and Xbox, Delman confirmed that Xbox LIVE will be the “pervasive media service” across devices. He also revealed that the company’s Xbox LIVE and SkyDrive storage asssets will be unified and that the change will be good for Microsoft and “good for consumers.”
WinRumors revealed earlier this week that Microsoft is currently experimenting with Silverlight applications on Xbox and Windows 8. The company will reveal its true three screens and a cloud strategy at its BUILD developer conference in September. Xbox is clearly a very important part of the overall strategy and a strong consumer brand.


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Q. Why has the handicapped parking spaces on Market Street near Riverwalk been replaced with government parking only? Several other handicapped spaces have also been replaced with taxi-only parking. Why would the city of Wilmington remove handicapped parking spaces?
A. We posed the question to Betty Gurganus, the parking manager for the city of Wilmington.
Gurganus said there were no designated handicapped parking spaces on that section of Front Street or on Market Street by the Riverwalk. Improved signs were installed at the foot of Market Street to alert drivers of the parking restrictions around the federal courthouse, she said.
On Front Street, markings were repainted to delineate parking restrictions after midnight, when some spaces become taxi stands.
“The parking restrictions have been in place for several years,” she said.
Date posted: October 9, 2013
User-contributed question by:


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Plastic has transformed our lives but has created a major environmental problem in our oceans so just how big is the problem, why are marine scientists so concerned, and what can we do about it. There will be more plastic than fish in the world's oceans by 2050, the world economic forum has warned. Metals can accumulate on the surface of plastic trash, researchers have foundsutanta aditya/barcroft images/barcroft media via getty images we know that plastic waste is overwhelming the ocean, sea life is dying from ingesting it and some even ends up in seafood but scientists also now worry that. Plastic oceans foundation is a global non-profit organization that addresses the issue plastic pollution and how it impacts our waters, sea life and humans. Plastics are used in many aspects of daily life and are a big part of our waste stream plastics in the ocean infographic. We packaged this 2-in-1 soap formula in bottles made with a blend of recovered ocean plastic and post-consumer recycled plastic. Dell is working to break long-existing cycles and keep plastics out of our oceans.
Develops advanced technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic full-scale deployment will remove 50% of the north pacific gyre debris in 5 years. Size of plastic ocean soup the size of the plastic soup is impossible to know for sure we have used the upper estimate of 15 million square kilometers. Eight million metric tons of plastic wind up each year in the oceans, harming marine life and entering the food chain. Use eventually ends up in the ocean the plastic pollutes the ecosystem and takes thousands of years to decompose see more plastic in the ocean facts below. About 8 million metric tons of plastic end up in the world's waterways every year. 300 billion tiny pieces of plastic trash are drifting just beneath the surface in ocean waters previously impervious to the pollution onslaught.
Plastic in the ocean breaks down into such small segments that pieces of plastic from a one liter bottle could end up on every mile of the best of ecowatch. A £614m war chest to fight the rising tide of plastic pollution in the world's oceans has been announced by the government the fund was announced by theresa may ahead of the commonwealth heads of. Plastic ocean: how a sea captain's chance discovery launched a determined quest to save the oceans [charles moore, cassandra phillips] on amazoncom free shipping on qualifying offers the researcher who discovered the great pacific garbage patch—and remains one of today's key advocates for plastic pollution. Just 10 rivers are carrying 90% of the plastic entering the oceans, a study has found two of them are in africa - the nile and the niger - while the others are in asia: the indus, ganges, amur, mekong, pearl, hai he, yellow and yangtze as well as being some of the world's longest rivers, they have.
The stretch of ocean now contains 79,000 tons of plastic debris, in the form of 18 trillion pieces, a research survey has found. Yet another floating mass of microscopic plastic has been discovered in the ocean, and it is mind-blowingly vast. Dell and trek bikes, among others, are working on building out a supply chain of ocean-bound plastics.
For further reading: campbell, lee anne plastics are forever nor'easter fall 1989 weisskopf, michael plastic reaps a grim harvest in the oceans of the world. The global tide of ocean plastic pollution is a clear violation of international law, campaigners say they have been urging for a new global treaty to tackle the problem but a new report - to be presented to a royal geographical society conference on tuesday - says littering the sea with plastics. Plastic is polluting the seas, but there's still time to turn the tide.
Los angeles — the world is awash in plastic it’s in our cars and our carpets, we wrap it around the food we eat and virtually every other product we consume it has become a key lubricant of globalization — but it’s choking our future in ways that most of us are barely aware i have just. A new extensive report shows the great pacific garbage patch, a mass of plastic and debris in the pacific ocean, is growing exponentially. This blog shares the research experiences and findings conducted at university of north carolina wilmington (uncw faculty and students) in conjunction with plastic ocean. Up to 95 per cent of plastic polluting the world's oceans pours in from just ten rivers, according to new research the top 10 rivers - eight of which are in asia - accounted for so much plastic because of the mismanagement of waste. Plastic pollution in the ocean has reached crisis levels and must be addressed in asia, where most pollution occurs, a report found.


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28 February, 2017
Be a part of video game history and join Nintendo in Madison Square Park on March 3 to celebrate the launch of its revolutionary new video game system.
However, that adds a caveat to the expectation that all the system's games would work in both portable and docked modes.
Sadly we weren't able to get our hands-on an early Switch console, so you'll have to wait until the console drops on March 3 before we have our content ready.
Some game experts are waiting for the holiday season before buying the Nintendo Switch.
The game will be sold at $19.99 from the Nintendo eShop. The Switch is also region-free, so if your Nintendo Account originates in Japan, you'll have access to games like VOEZ. A FAQ discussing the game's Switch support (via NeoGAF) reveals that TV Mode is not an option.
Hugh Jackman Might Still Be Wolverine If He Was an Avenger
Now, after playing the role in eight X-Men movies, Jackman has chose to hang up the claws forever. Of course, he's not the only one who would love to see that happen.
Canberra's retail, hospitality workers speak on Fair Work Commission rate cuts
The Fair Work Commission has spent nearly two years weighing evidence from more than 140 witnesses and 6000 written submissions. Ms O'Neill, in her honours year at university, said she barely made enough to pay her expenses without the penalty rate cut.
Headscarf row dominates Le Pen's Lebanon visit
Theresa May is meeting the front-runner to be the next French president for talks at 10 Downing Street . More than 600,000 people were killed and some six million people were displaced in the conflict.
WWE Superstar and actor who is as versatile as the Nintendo Switch console itself, the performer (and Nintendo fan) Cena is the ideal person to kick off this unique tour.
You have your Switch sitting in front of the television and you're playing on the big screen and then you take it out, put it down on the table. Today, however, we learned that doesn't necessarily mean all Switch titles need adhere to this standard, courtesy of the fledgling console's very first off TV-only title. While players can play the game by themselves, Snipperclips is really designed as a multiplayer experience as published by Eurogamer. Surrounded by excited fans and curious onlookers, the event will kick off a new era in Nintendo gaming.
Tabata went on further to say that while he isn't now working on anything for the Nintendo Switch, a lot of people on his staff are very interested in the system regardless. It ships March 3 for $299. However, this figure does not count digital versions of retail games and DLC.
Turns out the Switch can really last two hours and 30 minutes on a single charge, so good on Nintendo for not sweetening that part.


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Tailored Brands Inc. appointed Yen D. Chu as its executive vice president (EVP) and chief legal officer and corporate secretary, effective Dec. 26.
Chu joins Tailored Brands with more than 25 years of brand and consumer-facing experience for both private and publicly traded companies.
Most recently, Chu served as EVP and chief legal officer of Equinox Group LLC. Prior to that, she held various leadership roles at Ralph Lauren Corporation.
Tailored Brands is an omnichannel specialty retailer of men’s wear, including suits, formalwear and a broad selection of business casual offerings. Its brands include Men’s Wearhouse, Jos. A. Bank, Moores and K&G Fashion Superstore.
Stitch Fix Inc., the online personal styling service, announced that Kofi Amoo-Gottfried, chief marketing officer of DoorDash Inc., has joined its board of directors.
Amoo-Gottfried is the ninth member of Stitch Fix’s board, which is made up of a majority of people from communities that are traditionally underrepresented in tech and/or retail or board leadership, including women of color and/or LGBTQIA+.
Under Armour Inc. announced that Stephanie Linnartz will join the company as president, CEO and member of its board of directors, effective Feb. 27.
Linnartz currently serves as the president of Marriott International, the world’s largest hospitality company, with a portfolio of nearly 8,200 properties across 138 countries and territories and 30 brands.
Upon Linnartz joining the company, Colin Browne, who has served as interim president and CEO since June, will continue in a leadership role by resuming his position as chief operating officer.
Under Armour, headquartered in Baltimore, is an inventor, marketer and distributor of branded athletic performance apparel, footwear and accessories.
Certified B Corporation and adventure lifestyle brand Cotopaxi welcomed three new executives to its team: Kamal Thota, vice president (VP) of technology; Jason Hermann, VP of corporate sales, and Charlie Mangini as VP of operations.
Cotopaxi has strategically added multiple members to their senior leadership team over the past six months in an effort to position the brand for its next stage of growth while maintaining the core values that define the brand.
Mangini will oversee the distribution center and transportation divisions of the company, building infrastructure and pathways that will allow the business to meet aggressive and exciting goals in the coming years. Prior to taking a position with Cotopaxi, Mangini built a 30-year career managing logistics, fulfillment and operations for big brands such as J.C. Penney, Kohls and Marmaxx.
Thota joins Cotopaxi from publicly traded LifeVantage, where he served as senior VP of digital. Hermann spent nearly 20 years working at Columbia Sportswear Company across multiple positions. He will work closely with the corporate channel team to foster relationships with like-minded brands on co-branded apparel and equipment.
Chargeurs PCC, an apparel interlinings manufacturer, appointed Francisco Ros as country general manager (GM) of Chargeurs Entretelas Iberica.
Ros, who is based in Spain was previously GM of Helsa Fashion Shaping for Spain and Mexico. Reporting directly to Giorgio Marcarino, GM of EMEA, Ros will be responsible for driving profitability, efficiency and sustainability across the Iberica division.
Chargeurs PCC provides end-to-end solutions for the world’s leading fashion apparel brands by designing and manufacturing interlining, a technical fabric used to help garments retain their shape and structure. Its parent company, Chargeurs, is based in France and serves clients in more than 90 countries.
Federal Trade Commission
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chair Lina M. Khan appointed Aviv Nevo to serve as director of the FTC’s Bureau of Economics.
Nevo, who will begin his new role in January, joins the FTC from the University of Pennsylvania, where he is the George A. Weiss and Lydia Bravo Weiss Penn Integrates Knowledge professor with appointments in the Wharton School of Business and the Department of Economics, as well as director of the Competition and Policy Initiative.
The FTC works to promote competition, and protect and educate consumers.


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$55 billion is a lot of money. How’s that for understatement? However, with everything going on in Maine, the United States, and the world right now, you might have missed that Elon Musk is on track to earn that over the next 10 years. Assuming his car company — Tesla — can overcome certain hurdles. […]
Notes from a Corner of the Country
Is Shawn Moody stronger than compound interest?
It is the most important election of our lives. Or is it?
Choice for governor is really between Mills and Moody


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Simran Sahni Health zone a health and fitness brand recently opened its fifth outlet in Lucknow. Health Zone an established brand in fitness industry is all set to expand its network by franchise route. Established in 1999, it is an ISO certified company head quartered in Lucknow. Health Zone is an industry leader & was adjudged No.1 Wellness & Beauty brand in the region as per RED FM opinion poll in 2012 & again in September, 2013 by mouthshut. Health Zone inviting prospective franchises from all India.
Talking about the expansion plans, Sachin Sahni, Director – Business development says: We are now focusing on adding volume to their business development. The are 15 additional centres that are in the pipeline
Mr Sachin Sahni seems truly excited to welcome the ongoing evolvement of his ambitious dream, which got its structure nearly a decade ago with a vision. Company also has a Health & Beauty training Institute, which provides the regular supply of trained professionals (Gym/Aerobic trainers, Beauticians, Dieticians etc) required to provide Total Client Satisfaction.
franchise, franchise India, health & fitness franchisee, health zone, sachin sahni, simran sahni


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Port of Dover boss hit by claims of bullying and inappropriate behaviour towards female staff
One of Britain's biggest ports has been rocked by allegations of bullying and inappropriate behaviour by its boss.
The Dover Harbour Board, which has run the Port of Dover since 1606, has been sent a dossier of staff complaints about Tim Waggott.
According to Sky News, the allegations include the use of abusive language aimed at staff and members of the public.
The 51-year-old, who was appointed chief executive in 2013, has also been accused of making inappropriate physical and verbal gestures towards a number of female staff.
Storm: The Dover Harbour Board, which has run the Port of Dover since 1606, has been sent a dossier of complaints about boss Tim Waggott by members of staff
The claims have plunged Waggott's future into doubt at a crucial time for the Port of Dover ahead of Brexit.
The town is Europe's busiest ferry port and handles £119billion of goods every year, 17 per cent of the goods traded by the UK.
Ministers are pushing for a deal that will enable trade to be as frictionless as possible when the UK leaves the European Union.
Brexit secretary David Davis yesterday said he was confident an agreement on a transition phase with the EU post-Brexit can be reached within days.
He said the UK would accept a shorter transition period than initially suggested, saying he could 'live with' the arrangement ending in December 2020 rather than March 2021 if it helped secure 'the close relationship we are seeking'.
This week Waggott said: 'As the UK's key maritime gateway to Europe, our largest trading partner, we remain convinced free-flowing trade and supply chains are imperative to the well-being of the many people whose jobs and livelihoods they support.'
The comments came as a report by Imperial College London warned that longer vehicle checks at the UK border post-Brexit would lead to huge queues on British motorways.
Waggott, who sits on the board of water regulator Ofwat and on the south east regional council of the CBI business lobby group, is still in his role at the port.
'Tim Waggott remains in post as chief executive,' a source said. But Richard Everitt, the chairman of the Dover Harbour Board, which reports to the Department for Transport, is weighing up how to deal with the allegations.
The dossier was compiled by Dakota Blue, a human resources consultancy in Kent that specialises in how firms treat their staff.
A Port of Dover spokesman said: 'Dover Harbour Board acknowledges that following a detailed and independently managed staff engagement survey a number of issues came to light.
'These are being worked through and so it would be inappropriate to provide further comment at this stage.'
Dakota Blue Consulting founder Jackie Brooker said: 'We specialise in services to companies looking to improve engagement and relations between employees and executives to ensure best business practice and enhanced efficiency.
'Our work is confidential and we cannot confirm or deny our instruction on behalf of any particular client or the detail or outcomes of any of our work.'
She added: 'We are therefore unable to provide any further comment at this time.'
A spokesman for the Department for Transport said: 'This is an internal matter for Dover Harbour Board.'
Plans to privatise the Harbour Board were blocked by ministers in 2012.
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New study shows Google phone $5 cheaper to make than iPhone; skimpier memory one reason whyBy Jordan Robertson, AP
Monday, January 11, 2010
Report: Google phone $5 less to make than iPhone
SAN FRANCISCO — A research firm estimates that Google’s new Nexus One phone costs about $5 less to make than Apple Inc.’s iPhone. That’s partly because Google’s device has far less memory.
ISuppli Corp. has examined the components inside Google’s phone and estimates in a new report that the phone costs $174.15 to make. The firm estimates that a $30.50 Qualcomm Inc. processor is the most expensive part.
By contrast, iSuppli estimates the iPhone 3GS’s cost at nearly $179.
That version has 16 gigabytes of memory, compared with just 4 giagbytes in the Nexus One.
Google’s Nexus One sells for $529 without a wireless contract, and $179 with a two-year wireless contract.
Tags: Communication Technology, Consumer Electronics, Mobile Communications, Nexus one, North America, San Francisco, United States


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myFanPark, a South African based startup has recently announced its merger with Starsona Inc, a Silicon Valley-based celebrity engagement marketplace.
The startup is a fan-celebrity engagement platform cofounded by Jean de Villiers.
This merger will see the entry of myFanPark into the US market with the possibility of international investment and more access to a large customer base.
This current merger makes it the fourth expansion of myFanPark as it extends business frontiers into the international market.
The South African startup has yet placed itself as a force to reckon with among the world’s celebrity engagement platform.
According to Jean de Villiers, the merger isn’t just beneficial to the startup alone but also greatly impacts the fans’ experience while interacting with the platform.
“We are thrilled to announce myFanPark’s merger with Silicon Valley-based celebrity engagement platform, Starsona, which not only further expands myFanPark’s global footprint from SA to India, Germany, Nigeria, and now the USA, but also gives fans around the world more unique and authentic ways to connect with those they admire most.”
Jean further explained that the merger isn’t restricted to welcoming the 2400 stars present on the platform’s website but also allowing them to engage in shoutout videos, send DM messages, a Q&A session, and even make live calls.
The platform has made this possible for the stars to interact with their fans in their own unique way.
The startup was established in 2019 with the aim of reimagining the way brands and upcoming talents inspire their audiences across the world via personal interactions.
myFanPark created an innovative platform that enables its users to interact with celebrities through DMs, live phone calls, and many more medium.
With these, users can get personalized video chats from their favorite celebrities.
The startup has collaborated with other platforms to ensure that videos are purchased on the platform at a percentage fee that goes to the partner platform.
Reportedly, myFanPark has increased by 429% and this has seen an accelerated increase in the percentage of total orders by 959%. The startup revenue increased by 283% with a demand for talent going up by 500%.
From these indications, new talents in the entertainment industry have connected with their fans through the platform.
This success led to the merger with Starsona Inc. Joy Des Fountain, co-CEO of Starsona Inc. said that myFanPark offers different ways to meet with fans.
“Our goal at myFanPark is to reimagine how people around the world are able to connect, engage, share with, and inspire each other.
We can now offer an almost limitless range of ways for fans and celebrities from all over the world to forge authentic, highly personalized, and valuable relationships with each other.”
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Cape Town - Lewis Group [JSE:LEW] is refunding R44.1m to a group of its customers for the cost of loss of employment insurance mistakenly sold to them, together with R23m in interest accrued on this amount.
According to Johan Enslin, CEO of Lewis Group, the refund follows an extensive internal investigation by Lewis, which was triggered by the National Credit Regular (NCR) bringing to the company’s attention three such instances.
Lewis Group's share price increased by over 1% to between R63.27 and R63.56 on Tuesday.
“As a result of human error at our stores, loss of employment insurance products were sold to pensioners and self-employed customers contrary to our company policy,” said Enslin. “The issue relates to less than 1% of all insurance premiums earned by the Lewis Group since 2007.”
Fin24 reported in July that a mystery shopping experience by Summit Financial Wellbeing, a company which fights for consumer rights and lobbies for change in the financial services industry, uncovered major breaches of the National Credit Act (NCA) by Lewis Group.
Loss of employment insurance cover is used to settle customers’ outstanding balances on their credit agreements in the event of their retrenchment or redundancy. Pensioners and self-employed people cannot be retrenched, and are therefore not eligible for such cover. The sale of such cover to such persons should not have occurred.
“We have now identified the affected customers and the calculations of the amounts to be refunded have been verified by Lewis Group’s auditors,” he said.
About 30% of those affected are existing Lewis customers and the refunds will be credited to their accounts. The remainder of the affected people have settled their accounts and Lewis will refund these customers directly.
“We apologise to these customers and are in the process of contacting them to advise of the refunds due to them. In the case of customers who have already settled their accounts, we are using all possible channels to reach them and will make physical house visits if required,” said Enslin.
Commenting on how the errors happened, Enslin explained, “Although our IT systems included coded controls which excluded loss of employment insurance cover from being selected as an option to sell for certain categories of customers, our investigation revealed that mistakes occurred during the process of entering the client’s employment status details into the system.”
“We take the wellbeing of our customers very seriously and have implemented a number of preventative measures to ensure this type of human error does not happen again,” says Enslin.
“Firstly, staff training, testing and monitoring has always been a priority for Lewis, but we have scaled up these activities significantly. This includes increased staff training on refined credit processes as well as increasing oversight at branch level."
Secondly, the group has significantly improved its IT systems to address these matters, says Enslin.
Lewis has also enhanced checks in the credit application process. “Our credit approval is done on a centralised basis at head office and has been improved in that all customers who are captured as self-employed or pensioner at store level, are re-checked centrally to ensure loss of employment insurance is not being erroneously sold to them."
"This is further backed up by a monthly exception report on all transactions involving pensioners and self-employed customers, which is again reviewed to ensure that no loss of employment insurance is incorrectly sold to these individuals.”
“We have also embarked on a communications campaign to further educate customers around their rights on credit-related issues, which includes insurance. Lastly, we have increased the frequency of our mystery shopping research to identify areas that can be further improved.
“At Lewis our focus is on placing customers at the centre of all that we do. This philosophy results in the fact that 50% of our business is from repeat customers, something we are very proud of and which is unique in the South African furniture retail market.
“We know that our customers are satisfied with our merchandise, levels of service and our credit offering, but this matter has been a clear reminder that we cannot rest on our laurels and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that something like this does not happen again,” concludes Enslin.